Electric-railway-car truck



Paten ted Sept. 20, I898.

G. J. CAPEWELL.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY CAR TRUCK.

(Application filed. June 14, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet L (No Model.)

m: "cams zvzns co, PHOTDLITFO, WASNWGTON, D C

N0. 6l0,894. Patented Sept. 20, I898. G. J. CAPEWELL.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY GAR TRUCK.

(Application filed June 14, 1898.)

(No del.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@Whwww: (7W.- W WW rrnn GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, or ,I- AR F R CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CAR TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,894, datedSeptember 20, 1898.

Application filed June 14,1898. Serial No. 683,392. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric-Railway-Car Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway-car truck that hastraction-wheels'arranged one behind the other for traveling on a single central railtrack and retaining-wheels arranged on either side'of the center fortraveling in connection with the rails of a retaining-track. Y

The object of this invention is the production of a truck of this naturethat Will be strong in construction and light in weight and that willcarry powerful electric motors arranged to drive the truck and a heavyload at a high rate of speed with a minimum expenditure of power andthat can be renewed or repaired with facility.

The truck embodying this invention that is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings has a pair of centrally-arranged double-flangedtraction-wheels, each connected with an axle that upon both sides of thecenter bears the armature of a motor that is connected with thetruck-frame plates, which are supported by the traction-Wheel axles andwhich support the axle of the retaining-wheels, 'asmore particularlyhereinafter described, andpoint parts of the boxes are secured in place,so that ed out in the claims. I

Figure 1 of the drawings shows a plan of this truck with the top plateremoved to expose the construction. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of thetruck. Fig. 3 shows a central longitudinal section, and Fig. t shows acentral transverse section of the same.

Each of the traction-wheels 1, which are arranged in line one behind theother, has flanges 2 on both sides, so that its tread 3 is the bottom ofa groove that substantially conforms to the tread of the single rail 4:.These Wheels are secured in any common manner to axles 5, to each ofwhich on both sides of the center are secured the armatures of theelectric motors 6, that are supported concentric with the axles.

The truck-frame is formed of two vertically-arranged metal side plates7, that exalong the axles.

tend parallel for some distance and then are bent and converge untilthey meet at the middle. These side plates 7 have flanges 8 along theirlower edges to prevent them from buckling. Extending short distanceseach side of the center from end to end parallel with each other andwith the parallel side plates are verticalIyarranged metal center plates9.

The center platesare provided with flanges 10, that prevent them frombuckling. The side plates 7 may at their ends be secured together, andthe center plates 9 maybe secured to the converging walls of the sideplates by riveting in place the connectionplates 11. Near the middle thecenter plates are joined together by transverse vertical plates 12 andare joined with the side plates by transverse vertical plates 13, andthe opening between the plates 13 is closed a little distance abovetheir lower edges by horizontal plates 14:, which transverse verticalplates and horizontal plates are secured by riveting in a mannercustomarily employed in putting together platework.

Bearing-boxes 15 are secured to the outside of the center plates 9 andto the inside of the side plates "7. These boxes are so arranged thatthe lower parts may be removed to permit the placing of the truck-frameupon or the'remov'al of the truck-frame from the axles 5 of thetraction-wheels 1. When the truckframe is in position, with the upperpart of the boxes resting upon the axles, the lower the axlescannot'g'et out of the boxes, which are secured to the side and centerplates in such positions that they bear upon the axles each side of allof the motors and distribute the weight of the truck-frame and themotors When the truck-frame has been placed in position upon the axlesof the traction-wheels, the frames of the motors 6 may be bolted to thefaces of the transverse plates 13, so that the opening between thefield-poles of the motors will be concentric with the armatures on thetraction-wheel axles. I I

A top plate 16 is riveted to the upper edges of the side plates andtransverse plates, so as to cover in both ends'of the truck-frame andinclose the motors. Secured to the side plates are protector-platesl'i,that each side of the middle are closed on the bottom by thin plates 28.The protector-plates 17 are vertically-arranged metal plates withflanges 18 along their upper edges that conform to the parallel sidesand converging ends of the side plates 7. The protector-plates aretightly secured to the side plates by bolts passing through the flanges8 and the flanges 18 and also by him ge-rods 19,that extend transverselyof the truck-frame,by which they are supported. When the bolts securetogether the flanges 18 of the protector-plates 17 and the flanges 8 ofthe side plates 7, the motors are entirely closed in, and both ends ofthe truck will be Wedge-shaped, so as to reduce atmospheric resistanceto movement to a minimum. If it is desired to get at the motors, thebolts securing together the flanges 8 and 18 are removed and theprotector-plates allowed to swing downwardly on their hinge shafts. Thenwhen the bearing-block caps are loosened the traction-wheels, with theiraxles and the motors, that of course have been previously loosened fromthe truck-frame plates, may be removed by lifting the truck-frame fromthe axles or lowering the axles from the truck-frame.

plates near the middle of the truck-frame, and

held by these is the axle 20, that on each end 1 beyond the side platesbears the retaining-' wheels 21. These retaining-wheels are smaller indiameter than the traction-wheels and are designed to travel between therails 22 of a retaining-track, so as to prevent the truck.

plates 13 and resting upon the horizontal plates 14 are a number ofsprings 23. There are shown four sets of springs, each consist- 1 ing ofan outer large-coil spiral spring and an inner small-coil spiral spring.Supported by these springs is the platform-plate 24, that has a centralperforation 25 for the king-bolt that connects the platfornrplate withthe plate that is secured to the under side of the car-bottom. Thisplatform-plate preferably has downWardly-projecting flanges 26, thatloosely extend inside of the opening between the transverse plates 13and the side plates 7 and center plates 9. Headed rods 27 are passedthrough the springs and through the platform-plate and horizontal plates14, so as to limit the upward movement of the platform-plate and preventit from lifting sufficiently for its flanges to get out of the openinginto which they extend.

The vertically-arranged plates, braced and connected together in themanner described, form" a very light yet strong truck-frame, capable ofsupporting heavy loads and of receiving motors having a combinedcapacity of large amount. This truck-frame is so shaped that theatmospheric resistanceto its motion is reduced to a minimum, and allstrains are so distributed that, although thin plates are employed, thetruck-frame will be rigid and the axles will not spring. The motors canbe easily reached for renewing or repairs, as necessary, and thecar-body will be firmly and yet very yieldingly supported upon thistruck, so that the car will travel smoothly and comfortably. Largetractionwheels may be employed, and, running on the central rail, asthey do, a maximum amount of tractive effect is insured and high speedswith heavy loads can be maintained without danger that thetraction-Wheels will leave the track.

I claim as my invention 1. A car-truck havinga pair of centraltraction-wheels arranged one behind the other to run upon a single-railtrack, an axle for each traction-wheel, motors arranged concentric ofthe axles on each side of each traction- Wheel, and a truck-frame withcentral recesses for the traction-wheels and a closed chamber each sidefor each motor, supported by the axles, substantially as specified.

2. A car-truck having a pair of central traction-wheels arranged onebehind the other to 1 run upon a single-rail track, an axle for eachBearing-boxes 29 are secured to the side traction-wheel, motors arrangedconcentric of the axles on each side of each tractionwheel, atruck-frame supported by the axles, and retaining-wheels supported bythe truckframe and arranged to run on each side thereof in connectionwith a retaining-track of Wide gage, substantially as specified.

3. A car-truck having central tractionwheels arranged to run upon asingle-rail track, axles for the traction-wheels, motors Q arrangedconcentric of the axles on each side of the traction-wheels,vertically-arranged longitudinally extending plates that are joinedtogether near their ends supported by the axles, vertically-arrangedtransverselyextending plates bracing the longitudinal plates, andretaining-Wheels supported by bearings attached to the longitudinalplates and arranged to run in connection with a retaming-track,substantially as specified.

4. A car-truck having central traction- Wheels arranged to run upon asingle-rail track, axles for the traction-wheels, motors arrangedconcentric of the axles on each side of the traction-wheels, a closedtruck-frame with parallel sides and pointed ends supported by the axles,and retaining-wheels supported by the truck-frame and arranged to run inconnection with a retaining-track, substantially as specified.

5. A car -truck having central traction- Wheels arranged to run upon asingle-rail track, axles for the traction-wheels, motors arrangedconcentric of the axles on each side of the traction-wheels, atruck-frame having a closed top supported by the axles of thetraction-wheels, a protector-case having a closed bottom secured to theplates of the truck-frame, and retaining-Wheels supported by thetruck-frame and arranged to run in IIf connection with aretaining-track, substantially as specified.

6. A car truck having central tractionwheels arranged to run upon asingle-rail track, axles for the traction-wheels, motors arrangedconcentric of the axles on each side of the traction-Wheels,vertically-arranged longitudinally-extending side plates that convergeand meet at the ends of the truck-frame, vertically-arrangedlongitudinally-extending center plates that are connected with the sideplates near the ends of the truck-frame, Vertically-arranged transverseplates bracing the longitudinal plates, horizontal plates in the openingbetween the transverse plates, springs supported by the horizontalplates, and a platform-plate supported by th e springs, substantially asspecified.

GEORGE J. CAPEWVELL.

WVitnesses:

H. R. WILLIAMs, E. W. FOTHERGILL.

